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Chatty Burglar
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Date: December 19, 1989 Story Margaret Fisher had been caring for her patient for only a few weeks. A nurse's aide, Margaret would arrive at Richard Holt's residence at night and stay until early morning to care for the fifty-nine-year-old man who was wheelchair-bound as a result of a stroke and leg amputation. Around 1:30 in the morning on December 19, 1989, Margaret was awakened by a loud banging on the door. Frightened, she called 911. "My name is Margaret Fisher," she said to Salt Lake City Police Dispatcher Trainee Laurie Anderson. "There's somebody banging on the door and he's trying to get in." "Okay," responded Anderson, "we'll keep you on the line until the officers--" "Oh! He's in the house--!" The line went dead. Anderson had been in training only six weeks and turned for help to her instructor, dispatcher C.J. Prisbrey, who had been monitoring the call. Prisbrey knew it was time to step in and let Anderson listen. Because Salt Lake City had enhanced 911, Prisbrey was able to see Margaret's phone number displayed on her computer terminal and called her back. "Hello?" answered a male voice. "This is the police department," said Prisbrey. "Who is this?" "This is Mr. Holt," the man replied. "What is going on there?" demanded Prisbrey. " think she had a prank call." "I don't think so," said Prisbrey sternly. Whoever the man was, Prisbrey wanted to stall him until police officers arrived. "Your mind is going a million miles a second," says Prisbrey, "trying to think of something to keep him on the phone. If he's wasting the energy talking to me, he's not beating up on someone." The man told Prisbrey that his mother had called 911 when he came home because she was confused and didn't realize who he was. He was so stubborn, and pressed the issue for so long, that Prisbrey paused to consider his story for a moment. "We have little old ladies," she says, "who get very confused, who don't know who their family is. The guy was so insistent, that it was a slight possibility." Officer Roger Williams responded to what he thought was a family fight and waited outside the Holt residence for backup. On the phone, the intruder continued his story that he was Margaret's son. Suddenly, Prisbrey and Anderson heard a lot of commotion in the background. Then it sounded as if a shot had been fired. "What is going on!" demanded Prisbrey. The line went dead. Prisbrey called back again and waited for someone to answer. Meanwhile, Officer Michael Jensen joined Officer Williams at the house. At closer range, Officer Williams could see the suspect inside with a gun and quickly realized a robbery was in progress. The officers positioned themselves outside and drew their guns. When the suspect finally exited the house, they apprehended him. Margaret answered the ringing telephone and explained to Prisbrey that the suspect, who had stolen 86 dollars, was now in custody--thanks to Prisbrey having distracted him long enough for officers to arrive before he fled the scene. Prisbrey learned that the shot had been fired by Richard, who had wheeled himself into the room with his gun and shot at the robber. The suspect wrestled the gun away from Richard and put it to Richard's head. Fortunately, he didn't shoot. "The suspect was looking for an easy hit for some drug money," says Officer Williams. "If the dispatcher hadn't distracted him with the telephone, the situation could have really deteriorated and the lives of the older gentleman and woman may have been in danger." "I've never talked to a burglar before," says Prisbrey. "They don't usually answer the phone. I'm just lucky he decided to pick up the ringing phone and spend some time chatting with me." Prisbrey praises Margaret for doing a great job despite her fear. She stayed calm, remained on the line, and answered Prisbrey's questions. Margaret says she wanted to run out of the house, but she didn't out of concern for Richard. The next night, she returned to work to care for him. "She's a lot of comfort to me," says Richard. "She's become a good friend of mine. I look forward to her coming in at night, I really do." Category:1989 Category:Utah Category:Robberies Category:Holiday Category:Christmas Category:Shootings